L'Emprunt de la Liberation, 1918

CommentaryThe French drawer and caricaturist Abel Faire produced the most succinct posters of the First World War. Understanding these posters better requires an awareness of the deep-seated anti-German feelings in France. This alone explains the use of signs and symbols for the German enemy: The Kaiser with a broken sword, pressed down to his knees by Allied flags. Belittling war opponent’s signs and symbols of sovereignty became an important method for Allied propaganda.

The French drawer and caricaturist Abel Faire produced the most succinct posters of the First World War. Understanding these posters better requires an awareness of the deep-seated anti-German feelings in France. This alone explains the use of signs and symbols for the German enemy: The Kaiser with a broken sword, pressed down to his knees by Allied flags. Belittling war opponent’s signs and symbols of sovereignty became an important method for Allied propaganda.